Thursday, October 2, 2008

Nantucket

Another of the novels that were really influential for me is Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund. Anyone who was around me at the time got very sick of hearing about this novel. What I loved most is that Naslund took one line from Moby Dick and used it to create an entire world for her character: Ahab says in one small side conversation that he left behind a new wife and a small child, and Naslund seized on that to wonder about the wife, and what her world was like. A feminist reimagining of how the world of Nantucket in that period works. Comics have done this for years (it's called a retcon, where a back story is re-examined and expanded), but there are only a few novels that do it as far as I know (the most notable to me being Wide Sargasso Sea ).

What grabbed me most, though, was the first line. As I've said before, the first line of a novel is the most important thing to me. That first line has to wind me up enough to shoot me through the rest of the book. This one is not only good, it's one of the ones that make my top five list of all time. She says "Captain Ahab was neither my first husband, nor my last." I was floored. I don't even remember what I went into the book store for that night. I walked immediately to the counter and bought the book. And it didn't disappoint from that point forward, either. My favorite scenes are when this young girl goes to sea on a whaler disguised as a young boy--the way Naslund writes about the terror and the freedom...it was awesome.

I got to meet her twice; once at a reading she gave, and later at a conference. The first time, I'd written a poem in response to the novel, and I got to give her the chapbook that the poem was collected in. She said she liked the poem (I may put it up here at some point later if I feel like I can stand the embarassment). The second time, the novel I submitted only took 3rd, but I got to meet her. She said she liked my entry, and I got to tell her how much I loved this novel. You could have knocked me over with a feather that whole week after.

Follow Me on Twitter:

Purchase Remains

You can purchase Remains direct from Lethe Press or from Amazon in both Kindle and Paperback formats.
Would you like to see a trailer for the book before you buy? Here you go!:

Purchase Drowning Narcissus

My third novel, Drowning Narcissus, is now available in paperback from Amazon. E-formats are coming soon!
You can purchase the paperback
here
Here's the trailer:

Purchase Silencing Orpheus

If you'd like to purchase my new novel, Silencing Orpheus, you can do so here direct from the publisher, Rebel Satori. If you'd like to purchase from Amazon, instead, you can do so here. Prefer to read it on your Kindle? You can get Kindle format here. Want to use Smashwords for other e-book formats? You can do that here.
Would you like to watch a trailer for the novel before purchasing?

Purchase Stealing Ganymede

You can purchase my first novel, "Stealing Ganymede" here, at:
Rebel Satori Press, or here, from Amazon, or you can purchase a Kindle Version if you prefer.
Would you like to see the trailer before purchasing?

A good exploration of the disconnection felt by suburban teens in the 21st century, and the ways that social media has furthered rather than lessened that distance. It finally takes an Acid-fueled explosion of emotion and sensory overloa...

There are a few masterworks, here, interspersed among a ton of confessional trash and silly chestbeating. His voice was unique, though, even when producing work that was fairly unremarkable, even for it's time. The best we can say of thi...

Utterly charming, and full of very-true-truisms. If you listen to Kev's podcasts or have seen his Q & As, you know these stories already. You've never heard them fully fleshed out, though. The chapter about what we've all come to think o...